---
title: "What is Spree Commerce"
description: "What is Spree Commerce? What editions are there? How do I start using it?"
---

<img alt="Spree Commerce - Open Source e-commerce platform" classname="block dark:hidden" src="https://vendo-production-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/w_1920/q_auto/v1733327023/docs/Spree_Commerce_open_source_eCommerce_platform_Ruby_on_Rails_API_headless_tsnvap.png" />

## About Spree Commerce

[Spree Commerce](https://spreecommerce.org/) is an [open-source eCommerce](https://github.com/spree/spree) framework giving you full control and customizability. If SaaS solutions are not a good fit for your project, Spree may be a good fit.

Spree is built with [Ruby on Rails](https://rubyonrails.org/) used also by companies such as Shopify, Github, Crunchbase, Airbnb, Hulu, Kickstarter, Square and over 1 million other businesses big and small.&#x20;

Spree is being used by thousands of businesses around the world, among them brands such as GoDaddy, GOOP, Bookshop.com, Bonobos, Huckberry, KFC, Mitchells, Stylemyle.&#x20;

Spree comes in two flavors - as a free Community Edition or as a paid Enterprise Edition.&#x20;

## Community Edition vs Enterprise Edition

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Community Edition" href="https://github.com/spree/spree/">
    Spree Community Edition is free to use by anyone and is just perfect for small or hobby projects developed by skilled Ruby on Rails developers. It's the DIY version of Spree. It comes with community support only.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Enterprise Edition" href="https://www.getvendo.com/">
    Spree Enterprise Edition, available with a paid license, comes off-the-shelf with more features, more security, more integrations enabling you to go live faster and get all the latest improvements first. It comes with enterprise-level support.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

TL;DR The Community Edition gives you freedom. The Enterprise Edition saves you time.

So what sets both versions apart? Here's a [feature comparison](https://spreecommerce.org/pricing/) of the two editions and here's an [in-depth overview](https://spreecommerce.org/spree-commerce-version-comparison-community-edition-vs-enterprise-edition/).

## Looking for Developer Documentation?

This Spree user documentation is intended for business owners and site administrators of Spree e-commerce sites. Everything you need to know to configure and manage your Spree store can be found here.

If you are a Spree developer, you may find the [Developer Guides](/docs/developer) to be of benefit to you, though we strongly urge you to read through both sets of guides.

BTW Give Spree a [GitHub Star](https://github.com/spree/spree)<Icon icon="star" iconType="solid" color="#FFD43B" />, why dont't ya?

Thank you for supporting Spree open-source! <Icon icon="heart" iconType="solid" color="#FF0000" />

## Join Spree Slack

To join the Spree Community and over 6000+ Spree users and developers, please sign up for Spree Slack channels here: [https://slack.spreecommerce.org/](https://slack.spreecommerce.org/)

## Contact us

If you'd like to get in touch to share your feedback, request features, or start a new project, please fill out this contact form: [https://spreecommerce.org/get-started/](https://spreecommerce.org/get-started/)